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Equipment of My Forefathers.

I was out visiting the Folks over the holiday and decided to go down to my Grandpa's old place. Grandpa ran the best little country store in Lowndes, MO from 1941 to the mid 80's. It was a fine little place to enjoy a sandwich around a potbelly stove on a cold winter day or eat an ice cream during the summer. At one time, his apiary had about 20 hives. He harvested comb honey and sold it in the store along with other products of the farm. Grandpa passed on about 13 years ago and I was bound and determined to do a little beekeeping myself in his memory. It had skipped a generation with his son, he decided to become a NASA Engineer instead. As of this summer, I got mine off and running finally.

The first pics are some old hive bodies with frames. The one box in the left was a super that allowed placement of the little square boxes that made the comb honey. The boxes are in rough shape and there is no set sizing on them, just odds and ends.

The super with the individual square boxes is a good idea. No extractor needed. Walter Kelley Bees still carry them in the catalog, that is how I figured out what they were for. Looks like someone stole his smoker, I could not find it laying around. My Uncle told me of some other places he kept his equipment, I am going to look for more next time out. I am going to wash the veil and maybe even try it out. The canvas has mouse crap all over it but it is still in good shape. The veil itself is wire mesh.

Re: Equipment of My Forefathers.

Hey there,

I have some old bee gear like some of that myself. What surprised me was that it was 8 frame - as yours is. I thought 8 frame use was a recent development.

The item you're calling a queen cage or shipping cage is - I believe - a drone trap. I have three of them, and I believe they were placed over the entrances to trap drones. Someone better educated on these might correct me.

I thought they might be a useful item for someone who was using Instrumental Insemination...

Re: Equipment of My Forefathers.

Originally Posted by Acebird

Don't throw your father under the bus, I bet your grandfather was proud of him and you. Do what ever you can to bring back memories of your grandfather.

He is my Uncle, not my Dad. And I am proud of him too. He was one of the engineers that they show on the Apollo 13 movie trying to make the CO2 scrubber out of the parts they had on hand. Those guys were the ones that got them back home safe. And because of him, I have touched a moon rock.

I will toss Dad under the bus, he is a puss when it comes to bees. He watched his grandad save a bee one time in the water, picked it up on his finger and let it dry off. Dad tried that shortly after, pinched the bee between his fingers and got stung, 70 years later and he is still skittish around bees. He came over back in the fall while I was in front of the hive taking pics. I tried really hard to get him close enough to see the pollen they were bringing in on their legs, but he stayed back. Little does he know, I am preparing to carpet bomb the farm with hives in the next few years and he is going to learn how to tend them.

Re: Equipment of My Forefathers.

I have some old bee gear like some of that myself. What surprised me was that it was 8 frame - as yours is. I thought 8 frame use was a recent development.

The item you're calling a queen cage or shipping cage is - I believe - a drone trap. I have three of them, and I believe they were placed over the entrances to trap drones. Someone better educated on these might correct me.

I thought they might be a useful item for someone who was using Instrumental Insemination...

Adam

You may be right, I will take a better pic of it and post it. I was thinking the wire cage in front that slides off allowed nurse bee access but kept queen in. 2 screened cone shape holes for candy and one center opening with a metal cover for release. Back, top, bottom, and sides are all solid. Queen cage in a package or just some kind of queen introduction cage is my guess.

All three of the boxes are different size. One is quite smaller than standard Langstroth configuration.

Re: Equipment of My Forefathers.

Last spring I got a call from a soldier out around Ft Knox who was retiring and had just bought an old house and some property. He called me from a bee removal list and ask if I would like some old bee equipment. When I got there he explained that the former owner of this property had kept bees and offered to give me anything bee related that was out there. I ended up getting a few boxes and a couple of top feeders(new in the box,not even assembled)and some of the boxes like you got for Ross rounds and a few other things. I gave him a jar of honey and said thanks.I thought it was cool that he didnt just throw it on his pile and burn it.

Re: Equipment of My Forefathers.

That great stuff. I also got a call from a guy that his Dad past away an was a bee keeper. He said his Dad wanted all the Bee equipment to go to a bee keeper. So I got it all. I gave the guy more money than he wanted for all the items. Buckets, extractor, bottling tank, bee boxes, about 40 of them plus 40 supers. All in good shape. Head gear, overalls, too much to list.
I even have people ask me to put hives on their property, they just want to go out an watch them bring in pollen. Cause they remembered doing it as a kid.
Spead the word.

Re: Equipment of My Forefathers.

I have most of a case of the old basswood honey sections laying spread out on the floor of the wellhouse they were stored in. But from the smell of the building, I think they may be contaminated with DDT that has leaked out of some of the old pesticide containers in the building. Should I use them?????

Re: Equipment of My Forefathers.

Originally Posted by Adam Foster Collins

Hey there,

I have some old bee gear like some of that myself. What surprised me was that it was 8 frame - as yours is. I thought 8 frame use was a recent development.
The item you're calling a queen cage or shipping cage is - I believe - a drone trap. I have three of them, and I believe they were placed over the entrances to trap drones. Someone better educated on these might correct me.

I thought they might be a useful item for someone who was using Instrumental Insemination...

Adam

May I been keeping bees to long but I do know you conld get 8 frame boxes in 1920 this give me a good

Now I know I'm old

Thax for the
And yes I see a entrance to trap for drones and queens You can still buy this at. In 1940 - 1950 a lot of beekeepes use them.Do not ask how I know this
Miller Bee Supply Cat# M191